I Got Pregnant Twice In One Week. Here Is My Incredible Story

A mother who gave up trying for more children after being told she had only a five percent chance of conceiving has revealed she fell pregnant twice in the space of a single week.

Alina Luca, from Beckton in East London, had always dreamed of raising a large family, but her chances were severely hindered by an underactive thyroid. After two long years of attempting to have a second child with her partner, Rick Carmia, she decided to give up. Yet just a month later, the thirty-year-old discovered she was expecting. During her twelve-week scan, Ms. Luca learned she was actually carrying two babies, which doctors determined had been conceived roughly a week apart.

This exceedingly rare phenomenon, known medically as superfetation, occurs when a second pregnancy takes place just days or weeks after the first. Babies born this way, however, are not officially twins. Ms. Luca feels her experience was nothing short of miraculous, especially since she had only prayed for one more child. Her daughters, Ellie and Millie Carmia, arrived safely in March.

Superfetation happens when an egg is fertilized by sperm and implants into the womb for a second time, days or even weeks after the initial conception has taken place. It remains remarkably rare, with only a handful of documented cases recorded across medical literature, identified by physicians in the UK, Italy, and Canada.

Diagnosing superfetation proves tricky, as the presence of two fetuses in the womb is almost invariably presumed to be a standard twin pregnancy. The distinguishing feature is that the two fetuses develop at distinctly different rates. While infants born through superfetation are often treated as twins because they tend to arrive on the same day, they are biologically distinct. Typical twins are either identical, occurring when a single fertilized egg divides in two, or fraternal, occurring when two separate eggs are released simultaneously, fertilized by different sperm, and implanted together.

Recalling the moment she received the news, Ms. Luca said:

“I got pregnant while I was already pregnant. I didn’t think it was possible. I asked the doctor, ‘Are you serious? How can this be possible to get pregnant when you are pregnant already?’ They said that it was very rare, but it happens. We found out they were conceived one week apart because one of them was noticeably smaller on the scan. It’s a genuine miracle that this happened to me.”

She continued:

“We prayed for just one baby and told ourselves, ‘If it doesn’t happen, we can’t do anything about it.’ And then this occurred. Just one month after stopping trying, I found out I was pregnant. It was a massive shock for us. Once I processed it and did some research, I was in disbelief, thinking, ‘Wow, it really did happen, and it happened to me.’ It’s truly incredible.”

Ms. Luca, who was already raising a nine-year-old daughter, learned she was expecting again the previous August. She explained:

“I always wanted a big family. I tried for two years without success, and eventually I just gave up. Doctors warned me I had only a five to ten percent chance of conceiving because of my hypothyroidism.”

Hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, prevents the thyroid gland from producing sufficient hormones, leading to irregular menstrual cycles and significant fertility hurdles.

Reflecting on that difficult period, Ms. Luca added:

“Last year I decided to step back because I was so disheartened, thinking there was simply no point in pushing anymore—if it happens, it happens. Then, barely a month later, I saw that positive test. It felt unreal. I broke down in tears of pure relief and joy. I even called my sister and begged her, ‘Please look at this test and tell me if it’s really positive,’ because I honestly thought I was dreaming.”

Ms. Luca delivered her two daughters on March 15th at thirty-five weeks gestation. Millie weighed in at four pounds five ounces, while Ellie followed just sixty seconds later, weighing four pounds four ounces. The full-time mother has since launched an Instagram page to help raise wider awareness of superfetation pregnancies.

Looking back on the physical toll of carrying both babies, Ms. Luca shared:

“The pregnancy was intensely grueling and painful. I genuinely worried my back might give out because my stomach grew so massive. I’m petite, so my skin stretched to its limit with so many marks, and at times I felt as though my belly might burst. Holding them for the first time made me completely over the moon. It was pure magic. Honestly, everything feels doubled—not just caring for two babies, but the intensity of your emotions and how vulnerable you feel. Whenever I share what happened, people stare at me like I’ve lost my mind and ask how on earth that could be possible. If someone had told me this story before I lived it, I’m sure I would have reacted the exact same way.”